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Friday, December 30, 2011

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 7 (202km)

Done! After six days of squeezing small and medium rides in between family holiday gatherings and time by the fire, it was time to reel this fish into the boat. On Day 7 of the Rapha Festive 500, I decided to complete a 200K permanent route thus wrapping up the Festive challenge with 505 kms and completing my December RUSA R-12 ride at the same time. Pretty efficient, no?

The theme of the day was COLD. After several days with temps in the 30s and 40s, it dipped into the teens overnight and the thermometer registered 22 at the start and never climbed above freezing all day long. Don N. shot over from CT to join me for a day of chilly riding. My water bottles froze solid by about mile 25 and it was not until the first control at mile 49 that I was able to suitably thaw them out. Here's a picture of me steaming up the bathroom with scalding tap water to get these bottles back to normal.

Also at the first control was this amazing breakfast which both warmed me up and refueled the engine.

The particular route includes two Hudson Rider crossings, both of which were (you guessed it!) rather cold.

All told, it was a great day in the saddle. Despite bitter cold temperatures, we were blessed with sun and tailwinds for most of the day. Time for a few days away from cycling. Up next: my next R-12 ride in early January.

1 comment:

Nice entry George. I'll put that one in the epic column with the single digit wind chills, heavy traffic and dark finish, along with the fact I haven't ridden since the Flatlander on 12/2. I can't believe you had the energy to blog after our ride, then dinner and movie out with your wife!

Congrats on completing the Rapha 500 challenge this week - you are certainly driven! Don